Wednesday, 11 June 2014

Shariat

Shariat is heavily tilted against women. It permits oral talaq to Muslim husbands but not to Muslim women. Thus a damocles sword is hanging all the time above Muslim wives. The husband need not even give any reason for the oral talaq, but he may pronounce it whimsically. Thus shariat is an inhuman, unjust, feudal anachronistic law, which can have no place in modern society where men and women must be treated equally. All right thinking Muslims must demand abolition of this unjust law.

When the Shahbano judgment was given by the Supreme Court in 1985, requiring husbands to give maintenance to their divorced wives, all Muslims should have supported it as it was a humanitarian and progressive judgment, but most Muslims (though not all) stupidly opposed it. Where was their insaniyat then ?

O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you avoid justice; and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do.(qurqn translation 4:135)

All aspects of a Muslim's life are governed by Sharia. Sharia law comes from a combination of sources including the Qur'an (the Muslim holy book), the Hadith (sayings and conduct of the prophet Muhammad) and fatwas (the rulings of Islamic scholars).

Many people, including Muslims, misunderstand Sharia. It's often associated with the amputation of limbs, death by stoning, lashes and other medieval punishments. Because of this, it is sometimes thought of as draconian. Some people in the West view Sharia as archaic and unfair social ideas that are imposed upon people who live in Sharia-controlled countires.